£30bn offshore wind investment to be unlocked

Up to £30bn of investment in offshore wind projects is set to be unlocked under plans to accelerate developments.

The Government said it will streamline the consenting process to accelerate the construction of up to 13 new projects.

The wind farms will together generate up to 16GW of electricity – almost equivalent to the electricity generated by all of the country’s gas power plants last year.

The changes will allow the Government to designate new Marine Protected Areas or extend existing Marine Protected Areas to compensate for impacts to the seabed caused by offshore wind development. This will prevent delays that have previously resulted from insufficient environmental compensation being agreed.

Marine Minister Emma Hardy said: “These changes show we can make significant progress in expanding homegrown British clean power in a way that protects vulnerable sea life.”